Catching Water
by blazerules34
Summary: Percy and Annabeth are sent to the reaping of the 75th Hunger Games. They must live until the end, or the world will be destroyed Can they accomplish this with Katniss Everdeen as their mentor, or will everything they've done, past and present, be for nothing?
1. New Quest

**Update: 1/3/15:**

**Hey. My name is Michelle. This is a story I started in **_**2012**_** and I still haven't finished it. If you're okay with semi-longish chapters and updates that, ah, take a long time, please continue. I get so much support for this story, and it means so much to me. Believe me, I would love to write more, but I often get Writer's Block for this story. I get stuck on trying to make it original, and keeping it close to the book. But my dear readers, there's been something bothering me about this story for a long time. If you stuck with me, or gagged and hoped for it to get better, you've noticed that this story started out really crappy, and got a lot better. So, I'm fixing these chapters. Thank you for your time.**

"After dinner is served, I need to speak to you and Annabeth. Alone," Chiron pauses beside me, his eyes stern as he looks down at me. I swallow a little nervously and nod my head. Whenever Chiron has to speak to me, _in private_, I get a little worried.

"Yes, sir," I mumble in reply, watching as Chiron clips down the Pavilion to tell Annabeth the same message. As soon as he leaves, her gaze flicks over to mine, and I shrug lightly. She's probably already blamed me for whatever Chiron wants to talk to us about. I wonder if he knows about the times the two of us have snuck out after curfew…

Hopefully, that's not it. That would be an embarrassing talk, and I don't think I really want to have it with my mentor, as much as I love the guy.

Chiron reaches his spot next to Dionysius, who raises his can of soda to us in salute. Naiads proceed to serve us platters of food, and I whisper to my cup my usual: blue Coke.

I fill my plate with food, but I wait to eat for my turn to sacrifice some of it to the Gods, or more specifically, my dad, Poseidon. I creep up to the fire, and scrape some of my brisket into the fire. "Hey, dad," I whisper. "Please, uh, accept this offering. And don't let Chiron kill me. Thanks," Awkwardly, I turn and walk back to my table. I always feel weird talking to the fire like that.

I discover that Grover is waiting for me, and I give him a quick grin, shoving some food into my face. I've been training all day; I'm _starving_.

"Hey, Perce," Grover says in greeting, and I nod my head, deciding that speaking instead of chewing would go horribly wrong. He leans in a little bit, despite the fact that I sit alone here. "What did Chiron have to say to you?"

I force myself to swallow my food. "He said he wants Annabeth and me to go talk to him after dinner." I'm worried, and it's evident in my voice. Chiron looked pretty serious, although he often looks serious. But I don't like how he requests it be just the two of us, and how he wouldn't even say anything to me now.

"I'm sure you'll be fine," Grover mumbles, his eyes on the table. But I can tell that what I told him made him nervous, and that doesn't ease my sense of discomfort.

Later, as most of the campers go to the bonfire pit, Annabeth and I meet outside of the Pavilion. Without saying a word, but our hands joining, we begin the walk to the Big House. Chiron is already inside, waiting for us, and Annabeth lets go of my hand once we're inside. Chiron is laying down. Annabeth and I stay standing.

"Percy, Annabeth," he greets us. "Thank you for coming on such short notice." I almost want to mention that we live here, but he looks to be in no joking mood. "The Gods need you two. You are being…sequestered into another Quest. A very, very dangerous one. One that could get the two of you killed in a terrible, nasty way."

Well, that's one way to get our attention. But before Annabeth and I can do much more than share worried glances, he continues.

"In the future, America has fallen."

Wait a second, the future? How does this relate to our "dangerous" Quest? Annabeth looks to be bursting with questions, but Chiron holds a finger to his lips, and we stay silent.

"Out of the ruins of America, a new nation called Panem will rise, with 13 Districts, and one Capitol. Life there is sick and twisted, and before too long, another war broke out, what they called The Uprising. District 13 was obliterated, and to remind its Districts that the Capitol was supreme, they started The Hunger Games.

The Hunger Games occurs once a year. It is a live, televised event that everyone in the Districts and the Capitol watches. However, it is not a simple game. Two tributes from each District, one boy, and one girl, are sent to the Capitol, where they are polished to perfection, and then dropped into an arena. To fight to the death."

I interrupt. "So, what are we supposed to do, Chiron? How can we do anything from…well, here?"

His eyes are sad as he looks at me, and this time I take Annabeth's hand in my own. "The Gods are going to send you to the future, where you will live in District 12, and then participate in the 75th Hunger Games. Whether your names are drawn or not, you must go. The future of the Gods depends on you saving Panem from itself.

And, though only one tribute survives a year, two survived the year before you two will arrive. Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, also from District 12, and they two have quite the destiny in front of them. The two of you must survive The Hunger Games, and fight in the resounding war, and win it. That's all I can tell you."

"Chiron, that sounds…impossible!" Annabeth, who is never afraid of anything, sounds terrified. I'm terrified. This is beyond a scale that either of us can comprehend. And, if we screw up? Bam. There goes the fate of the world. Again.

Chiron glances up at the roof of the room, but I know what he's truly searching for. "The Gods will help you," he whispers harshly, almost as if he's making them promise himself. Thunder booms in the distance. "You both will survive." Although he looks pretty unsure of this himself, he forces a confident face. "Do you accept?"

Annabeth and I share a look. Really, we have no choice. We're backed into a wall, here. "Yes," we say together, and Chiron sighs in relief, glancing up at the ceiling again. "I wish you both the best of luck. Meet me under the Pine Tree at dawn tomorrow."

And with that, our fate is sealed.


	2. The Reaping

**Blazerules34: I was really excited for this, so I started the chapter early! Hooray! So, um, to the story!**

~Percy's POV~

As usual, I had a dream that night. It wasn't anything bad at first, but at the end the scene shifted. I was in a meadow, except the meadow was like a skeleton of its former self. There were ruins behind me, and no sign of human life. It was terrifying, and I'm not sure why.

"This is what would have happened if you didn't take up the quest, to every District. "A voice hissed to my left, and I woke up. I got dressed, shoved Riptide in my pocket, and headed outside. I went to the beach, my favorite place to think.

I was thinking about my dream when Grover appeared and sat down next to me. "Are you Ok, Perce? "Grover asked, sitting down next to me. "I guess. "I shrugged. "Did Chiron tell you all about the quest last night? "I asked, watching the sun come up. "Yeah, but are you sure you want to do this? You could always skip this one. "Grover muttered, sounding like he was trying to convince himself that I would do that.

"I-I had a dream. It showed me what would happen eventually if I didn't go. "I muttered, and Grover's eyes widened. "Percy, do you know how rare that is? Even for a half-blood? "He asks me, and I shake my head. "Some God must have known how bad you were feeling and had to show you, I guess. "He murmurs slowly. "If you say so. "I shrug, and then Chiron is there ushering me to the pavilion.

There, all the campers were present. I kept my head held high, and pretended like I was going to be perfectly fine. Actually, I would be. I had kind of forgotten about my whole body being immune to wounds except for that _one_ spot. I almost shivered, knowing as soon as someone wounded me there I would be gone.

I knew I could easily get Annabeth and me out of the arena. Without wounds, I'm not sure, but as long as we lived, we could save the world. Again. I apparently never got a break.

"Percy, Annabeth, you will remember this life, and everything about it. But, you must pretend to be friends with Katniss and Peeta, and Prim. You must survive. We will be watching you on T.V., which the Gods will be providing. Goodbye. "Chiron said and my eyes closed and I faded away.

"Percy, wake up! "An unfamiliar voice said, and I groaned and looked up. A brown haired woman stood beside me. "I already shooed Annabeth out of here, you must get ready for the reaping, son. "The woman said. She must be my mother. I remembered everything, so I guess Annabeth and I slept together a lot here.

I put on a shirt and a pair of shorts, knowing presentation mattered. Well, screw that. I went outside, into an area where we 16 year olds were supposed to be. Annabeth was nearby, looking determined. A woman in an orange wig came up onto stage. "Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be evr in your favor! A round of applause for our recent victors, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark! And don't forget Haymitch! "She said cheerfully.

We applauded, and then a screen came on showing Annabeth and I the past of Panem, a place we knew was ruled by the Gods. "Ladies first! "The woman said and reached into the glass bowl. "Maggie Crockwood. "The woman called out and I saw my brave Annabeth step forward. "I volunteer! "She raised her hands up and the woman squealed.

"Your name, sweetheart? "She asked her. "Annabeth Chase. "Annabeth replied. "My name is Effie Trinket. "Effie giggled. "Boys next! "Effie declared, and reached into the bowl. "Percy Jackson! "She cried out, and I watched a victors head drop, surely Katniss's and I stepped forward. I walked up to the stage. "Now, shake hands my dears. "Effie said, and we did so.

I noticed Katniss looking at us sadly. A tear went down her cheek. "Happy 75th Hunger Games! "Effie declared and led us out onto a train. I knew I had to show someone my Godly powers before all the cameras were trained on me. A glass of water was next to a cameraman and I knocked it over with my mind.

We walked onto the train, ready for our quest.


	3. The Train

**Blazerules34: I'm so glad I got so many reviews for this! Like 14 or something! That makes me so happy! Alright it's time to get to the story!**

~Percy's POV~

"Annabeth, how could you do that? "Katniss hissed at said girl as we walked on the train. "Now you and Percy are probably going to end up dying! I can't lose any more of my friends! "Katniss shrieked. "Yo, Percy, horrible to see you on this occasion! "Peeta Mellark clapped me on my back.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the lovebirds. Hope you'll be better with the romance than those two were. "Haymitch snorted as the train started moving. "Annabeth, I still can't believe _you_ of all people would be _stupid_ enough to volunteer! You know the Capitol has it out for us! "Katniss practically snarled and I winced. Annabeth does _not_ go well with that word.

"Because I had a vision! "Annabeth snapped back. "You-wait, what? "Katniss asked, startled out of her rampage. "A vision, when you are gifted with seeing something of the past or future. "Annabeth replied calmly as Effie found us. "Oh, dear! It was just a dream, no worries. "She smiled at us.

"_Yes_, that's what visions are. My vision said I had to be in the Quarter Quell this year, I just didn't know that Percy… "She bit her lip and looked away. There was silence until Haymitch started clapping. "You two are brilliant! I mean, no one would be able to doubt those two are in love! "Haymitch started chuckling. "That's because they are… "Katniss glared at him.

"Alright fire girl, alright. As you two are new mentors I'm supposed to watch over you. "He said before turning to Annabeth and I. "And you two, some advice; stay alive! "He chuckled. "Now if you excuse me, I would like to go get some sleep. "With that, Haymitch turned and disappeared.

"I'm still amazed you two were picked. "Peeta finally spoke up. "It's the Quarter Quell. It was only supposed to be victors this year. Why, I wonder? "Katniss turned her head to the sky. "Well, I guess I should thank you, Annabeth. You spared me from going in. "Katniss gave a sad laugh.

"We will begin your training tomorrow. We have videos of all the tributes that will be in the arena. Go to bed. "Katniss ordered and went to her own bed. An attendant led me to mine, next door to Annabeth's. _May as well get some sleep until I'm thrown off balance_ was my last thought as I succumbed to sleep.


	4. New DemiGod

**Blazerules34: I am so sorry! You all probably hate me right now! I've been so busy! So, I won't waste your time, but I'm so happy you all love it so far!**

**~Annabeth's POV~**

As soon as I went to bed I fell asleep. I kind of missed Percy, but I won't admit that out loud. I just curled up in a bed and fell asleep. When I fell asleep, a woman with blond hair like mine appeared. "You are doing so well so far, my daughter. "She murmured. "What would you have me do? "I asked her. "Survive, "She answered like it was obvious. Then she disappeared.

I woke up that morning when that silly woman Effie Trinket knocked on my door and shouted "It's another big, big, day! "And I took it as my cue to get up. Percy was waiting for me outside my room and I went up and hugged him immediately. He rubbed my back soothingly. "So, any plans Seaweed Brain? "I asked him. "Nope not really, "He muttered through my hair. I broke away from him but grabbed his hand as we moved to the table.

I think Haymitch almost cried tears of joy when he saw us. "Look at these two! Their perfect for this! They can both play the part! Unlike you, Katniss, "He muttered the last part. Ok, I admit he was starting to annoy me a bit. So I grabbed my knife and pressed it to his throat. "Say another word about how perfect our love is, and I'll cut your throat out, "I threatened. Dead silence. "Now, Annabeth, I don't think that's quite appropriate, "Effie started but I glared at her.

"Annabeth, "Percy leaned forward and whispered in my ear, "What will Athena think? " And I took my knife off his throat. Haymitch started laughing now. "Their fighters too! What can you do, boy? "He asked Percy and I tensed. "A lot, but I don't think she can handle it, "He jerked his head in Effie's direction. Haymitch led her out of the room. "See that cup of water over there? "Percy pointed at water. Haymitch, Peeta, and Katniss nodded.

The water tipped over, but not a single drop spilled out. "How is that possible? "Peeta gaped at the water. Percy made the water sit upright again. "Do something else, "Haymitch instructed. Percy closed his eyes and a spout of water sprung from the sink and hit Haymitch in the face. But when it disappeared, his face was dry. "You're magic, "Katniss stated calmly. "No, I'm a demigod. "Percy corrected. "A what? "Peeta asked confused. "Half-God, half-human. "Haymitch smiled. "Welcome to the family. My parent is Dionysus. "He added. I shrugged. "Makes sense."

"My father is Poseidon, and we were sent here on a mission. "Percy said. "My mother is Athena, and we come from the past. "I introduced myself. "What do you mean, you 'came from the past'? "Katniss stared at us. "Oh, don't worry about her, I'll explain it to her, "Haymitch said and linked his arm with Katniss's. "Come on sweetheart, let's have a little chat. You too, Peeta, and the DVD's are near the TV "He called and was gone.

My hand still in Percy's, I crept to the TV. I put in a DVD, and the victor was a one-armed man named Chaff. I looked away multiple times as we watched the video especially when we figured out how Chaff lost his arm. Percy looked away as well.

This was so different for us, I mean; we kill monsters that explode into sand. To hear the sounds of pleading, crying and gore was a bit too much. "When we get home, I am never watching another horror movie again. "I said suddenly. Percy looked at me, confused. "You watch horror movies? "He asked. "You didn't hear anything. "I told him, and kissed him for good measure.

Finally, after about twelve video's, I threw my hands up and paused the ending of the one where Brutus won. "How are we going to do this, Percy? "I yelled. "I still remember how you felt about killing demigods! How are we going to kill people? "I added. His arms circled my waist. "I don't know Annabeth, but I'll kill to protect you, "He said. "Stay in my room tonight? "I asked, tightening my hand on his. "Of course. "He sounded amused.

Tomorrow we would arrive at the Capitol, and I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm the brains of our group, and I can't think of how we'll get out alive. How will we even get our weapons in the arena? I mean, I'm pretty sure no one would take a pen, but humans aren't even hurt by celestial bronze. Unless the Gods made it special in this case. I hope they did, because it may be our only chance to make it home.

**Blazerules34: So how's that? I hope you'll all like it! Please review and favorite and subscribe!**


	5. Chariots

**Blazerules34: Yeah, I know, Haymitch a son of Dionysus… I'm so smart! It makes so much sense! And thanks for all the favorites and reviews! But most of the reviews were telling me to update…. Eh, it's not my fault! No internet does things too you! Now, watch while I beat up Percy for your entertainment!**

**Percy: Why me? What's wrong with you?!**

**Blazerules34: Oh, I'm just an insane author, not much.**

**Percy: … Makes sense… **

**~Annabeth's POV~**

We arrived at the Capitol today. My prep team people are weird. I have only one male, and his name was Flavius. He had _orange_ corkscrew hair and purple lipstick. Octavia has _evergreen_ colored skin and a bunch of random stuff in her hair. She was also kind of plump, not to be rude. Venia is the strangest, in my opinion. She has blue hair, and designs stenciled into her skin. What kind of people are they?

Eventually, they leave, instructing me to wait for some man named Cinna. What kind of man is he? Cat ears? Dog tail? I wouldn't be surprised with the stuff I've seen. They also took all my clothes. Seriously, what the hell? I'm going to be naked in front of a _man_! At least Percy isn't here. What hell are they putting him through?

Katniss says that Cinna is amazing, and showed me her introduction. She was on _fire_, literally. But he's brilliant. Makes no sense, and I'm all about sense. Katniss told me to listen to him no matter what. She told me she had had her doubts as well, but not to worry. I'm starting to get really bored when the door opens and I put my arms in front of my chest, self-consciously.

Thank the Gods, this man seems normal. You'd see people like him in New York all the time. He has short brown hair, and gold eyeliner. "Please excuse the prep team, "He tells me and hands me a robe. I thankfully shrug into it. "We must seem like monsters to you. "He adds as lunch comes in. "I'm not sure what to think… You seem almost like people from my ti-"Oh nice one, Annabeth. Worst mistake ever. "It's alright, Katniss trusts me and she told me everything. "Cinna says as a chocolate fountain is ushered in.

Cinna has to order a second one, as I start eating the first. Hey, I have cravings! "So, while we have some time before the introduction, I must explain something to you, "Cinna says as I stick my finger's in the pot of chocolate. "The Mockingjay pin… Katniss is going to give it to you. "And he went into a whole thing about why it's so important. Sorry, confidential.

Then he puts a blindfold on me, and does my makeup, not necessarily in that order. He takes my hand, and makes me stand in front of a mirror, I think. Clothing was slid onto me, before he pulled me back to the chair and did makeup on my eyes. He covered them then, without touching them, and walked me back to the mirror and put something on my head. I opened my eyes.

Dramatic makeup seemed to cast my face into shadows, while I saw I was wearing a jumpsuit. It was dark clothing, and there seemed to be something… Different about it. The headdress is something I can't even explain. Cinna hit a button on it, and the headdress and jumpsuit lit up in fiery light.

"Oh, Cinna… I look like a coal. "I was in awe about this outfit. "I stare at fire a lot, "He stated. "Apparently. "I laughed. I hope Thalia see's this, as I bet she'd _love_ this outfit. Cinna nodded at me. "It's almost time, follow me. "He said and walked out of the room. I followed him down a few hallways, and then down an elevator. Percy wasn't there yet, so Cinna led me to our chariot. So much like home.

I was giving the horses some sugar cubes when someone came up behind me. "Can I have a sugar cube? "He asked in a seductive voice that I immediately knew wasn't Percy's. I mean, Percy, seductive? That defines the law of physics. "Um… No. "I decided and turned around. It was a guy who had blonde hair and sea green eyes, sort of like Percy.

"I'm Finnick, Finnick Odair. "He held his hand out. "I'm Annabeth Chase. "I said, staring at him. "Well nice to meet you, "He glanced over his shoulder and walked away. I realized Percy was walking over. No wonder Finnick ran away. Percy was matching me, and I knew we were going to be stunning.

We were told to get into our chariots, and the Introduction began. As we were the last chariot to go, Cinna came over and said "Hold hands, but don't look happy. "And walked away quickly. I clenched Percy's hand tightly, then found the buttons and we began to glow as the chariot started moving.

Demigods at home were probably watching this, I realized. I stared straight ahead, holding Percy's hand like it was my lifeline. The chariots circled around, and a guy came and stood up on a balcony. His name is President Snow, I think. He began talking, but I ignored him.

My mind was racing. How to survive? What's our arena going to look like? Even as we descended our chariots and went back to our apartment, I was thinking. Dinner was amazing, and we got more tips on how to survive.

"First things first, find a weapon and food from the Cornucopia. And then, once you get away, find a steady supply of water. I almost died without water last year. "Katniss said somewhat bitterly. "Ok, I'll remember that. "I said.

Katniss gave me an odd look. "Well, of course you are! Survival one-oh-one! "She laughed. After dinner, we watched a replay of tonight's events. Then, as we had to get up early the next morning for a, um, strength test? No, we were being judged by Gamemakers, so we trained and then we were judged. Highest score is a 12. But, if you get that, you'll be hunted down first by the Careers.

I just want to go home.

**Blazerules34: I know, I know, it's been forever! And this was Annabeth's POV for a reason.**

**Annabeth: because with Percy's POV, it would have just been awkward.**

**Blazerules34: Yep! So I don't own anything!**


	6. First Day of Training

**Blazerules34: Wow! I'm getting so much support for this story! Thanks so much!**

**~Annabeth's POV~**

Today is the first day of training. We are supposed to have training, though I don't know how much Percy and I can really learn. This might even be easy, to kill people.

Yep, that's me being positive.

Haymitch had pointers for us, and I remembered how he _knows_ most of these people, laughed and got drunk with them. Who wept with them the first few times the children they mentored died. I wonder who, really, he's voting for?

I really hate this world. I really do.

"Make them like you. Katniss only succeeded in that because Peeta and her love each other and Peeta made everyone like her. "He told us, waggling a finger in our faces. I stifled a laugh, thinking of how Katniss would react. But she didn't, besides to nod grimly.

"Don't show you're skills in front of them, so Annabeth; No knives. Percy; Avoid the swords man. I know it's hard, but do you want to die and fail all your friends at home? "We had told Haymitch, and Haymitch only of the _real_ reason we were here. He had nodded, and said he knew, that his father had told him.

That made me wonder if Dionysus remembered us that well, and if he was still fat and a hater to children that aren't his own.

But as we walked into the training room, I realized that, although we have a lot of training, Percy and I don't know much about this time period. What poisons there are, the like.

We have a lot to do.

Percy and I separated, remembering what Haymitch told us. "Try and form an alliance, "He had whispered, before leaving us in the hallway.

I knew this was wise, and about 50% of my being agreed with him. But the other 50% was scared, and wanted to take Percy and run back home, back in time, and send someone else to do this impossible task. We seem to do a lot of impossible things.

But I knew why we had been sent on this task; because we _are_ the only people who can do this. We've had so much training, and experience. Most kids haven't been on a quest yet, and most are so young they weren't even around the Camp for the battle with Kronos.

First I went over to the knot-tying place. The instructor immediately took a shine to me, showing me how to make several different knots. I was almost finished with a noose when someone came up behind me, reached over me, and finished it for me. It was Finnick Odair, and he took the noose and hung himself for my amusement. I rolled my eyes, bid the instructor farewell, and left.

I also went over to the fish hook place, and the old lady there, Mags, could basically make a fish hook out of anything; an earring, a piece of pipe. I immediately added her to my list of possible allies.

I then went to the fire-making place, since I really only know how to start a fire with a match. It took me a good hour to start one, but when I did, I realized I had company. I debated on whether I should leave or not, but I decided not to be anti-social when I saw everywhere else was occupied.

I discovered that the male was named Beetee and the female, Wiress. I noticed a few minutes into the conversation that Wiress would trail off, and Beetee would finish her sentences for her. Their talent was inventing things, which made me feel… Different because of my obsession of architecture. We were discussing Katniss', ehem, talent with clothing, when Wiress saw it. A little square, blue, hovering just over the edge of the table.

"What is that? "I asked, squinting at it. "Well, a chink in the armor, I guess you'd say. They have a force field up, "Beetee said, still squinting at it. "But why… "Wiress started, before becoming distracted by all the thoughts in her smart little head. "Why is it there? "Beetee finished for her. I laughed.

"Oh, I think that was Katniss' fault, "I chuckled. "How so? "Beetee looked at me, eyebrow raised. "She shot an arrow at them last year. She was provoked, "I chortled. I don't laugh much with strangers; but I can remember her telling me in a hushed whisper on the way to the Hob. The Hob burst into flames only a few weeks later.

I still find it weird to have memories I don't really have. Like, they surface when I need them, but otherwise, I don't have them.

Beetee was describing a little music chip that could hold over millions of songs on it; I remembered something Octavia had complained about earlier.

"Yeah, my Prep crew was complaining that they couldn't get some stuff like that, "Another memory surfaced; walking past a they mayor's room, hearing a beeping coming from it, and watching as the reporter discussed District 8's uprising. _An uprising… Oh Gods. That's going on…_ It hit me just then. District 3 was in an uprising.

Beetee looked at me curiously. "Well, we've had a few… Issues. Have you had any problems with shipping coal? "He asked, eyebrow raised. "Only two weeks, when we got a new shipping of Peacekeepers. Which basically meant we sat and starved. "I put a little emphasis on starved, telling him, no, we didn't start an uprising.

"That's too bad we found… "She drifted off again. "We found you're District interesting, "Beetee continued. "Well, we have a small District, "I defended my home, even though I never really lived there. We chatted for a bit, before we went separate ways. I went to study poisons, and I saw Percy eyeing the swords. But then he went to the weight lifting, which he was OK at.

I then went over to the archery station. I grabbed a bow, and shot a few arrows. I'm pretty good, but not as good as Katniss. But the instructor saw almost immediately that I'm pretty good, and started throwing things into the air. AT first, I thought this was stupid, until the Mist made me remember hunting with Percy, Katniss, and Gale.

After I finished shooting five clay things in one round, I realized it was so quiet I could hear each one crash to the ground. I turned and looked back; what I saw surprised me. People were staring at me with mixed emotions, admiration, envy, and pure hatred.

At lunch, I wanted to be alone with Percy, but the tributes had other ideas. They dragged all of the tables together, and I sat between Percy, and Chaff. I decided that I liked Chaff, when he was sober. He laughed at all of his jokes, even if they were bad.

That night, Effie told us we would train for one more day, and then we would be judged by the Gamemakers, and then we would have an interview, leading us to the arena.

I nodded, pretended I wasn't thinking about death, and ate my dinner. Before I went up with Percy, I heard Haymitch call us too stop.

"Hey, you guys got a lot of alliance requests! "He hollered as we ascended the stairs. "Why? ".

"They say her shoot, "Percy grinned. He had no talent for it whatsoever, so he usually used a sword in the woods, which I'm sure Katniss remembers. She does, and she leans forward, a grin on her face.

"Well, I only want Mags and District 3, "I said and turned back around. Percy shrugged, saying nothing; I'm the strategist, not him. "Of course you do, "Haymitch grumbled, "I'll tell them you're still deciding. ".

"You do that! "I called back as we finally collapsed into my room. He went through the door into his own, and came back into pajama's, and I had changed into them too. He sat down on the bed, lied down, opening his arms. I fell into them, turning so my back was to him and he had his arms around my stomach. He kissed the top of my head, and I sighed.

What would life be like without Seaweed Brain? I don't think I could survive it, all the more reason to get out of this alive and return home.

**Blazerules34: Oh yeah! 1, 406 words! I'm so proud of myself… Thanks for everything!**


	7. Tested

**Blazerules34: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH HHHHHHHHH! The Mark of Athena came out on Tuesday last week, and I finished it a few days ago, and he made another CLIFFHANGER!**

**Percy: Erm…. Do I die?**

**Blazerules34: Possibly both you and Annabeth die, which is WHY I'M SO MAD RIGHT NOW! Basically, it inspired me to type….**

**Annabeth: And that makes **_**so**_** much sense.**

**Blazerules34: PM me if you've read it and want to rant about it with me!**

**~Annabeth's POV~**

I say training these past two days has gone well, if you tried to focus on the whole _I'm not being trained to kill people_ part. Which is very hard to _not_ focus on. But, I say we've made progress, learning about _other_ useful things besides killing people. Like, determining whether berries are edible and won't make you shrivel to dust slowly if you eat them.

It's a very useful thing to know, especially since we never saw many people over to that section. The instructor was usually happy to see us, and give us points and tips and not dying because of poison. Which is good, in case you didn't know that.

But training is a past challenge, and our newest one is staring me in the face, hypothetically speaking. Today, the Gamemakers asses our skills and rate us. Tomorrow, we are interviewed by Ceaser Flicker-something. I normally remember names, but if this guy is going to interview us and be friendly and all that, he's just trying to downplay the fact that soon enough, twenty three of us will be dead.

Unless Percy and I can help it.

I pushed those thoughts aside. That was yet another battle approaching, and I need to focus on the one I'm waiting for.

Percy and I are the only ones left waiting in a long room, waiting for the Gamemakers to summon us one by one. Percy goes first, as females of each District go last for some reason. I mean, ever heard of _ladies first_? Chivalry is dead I tell you.

A cool female voice states that Percy can come in now. I hug him, murmur words of encouragement, and let him enter the elevator. Now I'm alone. The one thing I _loathe_ with all my being is being absolutely alone. When I was seven, all tucked into bed, the spiders would creep around me, biting me… (**A/N: Stole that from The Mark of Athena, sorry)**

Eventually, I just left my home. But I can't run from the loneliness now. I stay out, twitching visibly every five seconds. Quests can get me like this. Although, technically, this isn't a quest. We didn't even receive a prophecy; Chiron just came over to us and said in that sad way of his, _hey, you guys need to save the world again! Good luck!_

It usually only takes fifteen minutes for the next person to be called, but it's closer to forty-five when I'm finally called in. I noticed that the area near the swords and the dummy has been cleaned up, probably being what delayed me. _Interesting_…

I also note that the Gamemakers are paying painfully close attention to me, making me slightly uncomfortable. I decided to be myself; meaning I glare at them before going and grabbing a knife that looks exactly like the one I left in my own true time. I narrow my eyes at the dummy, before leaping out, twisting my leg and kicking the dummy over, before throwing my knife with deadly accuracy into the area where a heart would be.

I don't stop there, I leap up, taking my knife with me, and throw it at the dummy that was next; it was ten feet away, and my knife sailed into the dummy's chest, the point visible from behind. But I'm not done, oh no. I continue to viscously destroy the dummies, using my pent-up frustration to hack away at them.

I probably wouldn't hesitate if someone tried to kill Percy or me for that matter. But Percy is all invincible, and I feel like I have to prove myself to him, even though I _know_ I don't. Call it an Athena-pride thing. But this means I have to work twice as hard, and even though I can probably beat Seaweed-Brain in a fight, doesn't mean I won't get injured.

By the time I'm done, I'm sweating and panting, and the Gamemakers are staring at me open-mouthed, as if I was a fascinating creature at the zoo. I thought about throwing the knife at them, but then remembered the force field and decided against it. Besides, that might make them mad, and then they'll want to kill me even more.

Someone cleared his throat after a minute of staring. "You may go, Miss Chase. ". And I turned and, throwing a mocking bow towards them, I walked out.

When I got back, it was dinner. I sat down across from Haymitch, who looked up. "Well, that seemed to take a long time, "He stated, clearly implying that we were to say what we'd done in the time.

"I… Erm, I attacked things with my sword…. "Percy said, scratching the back of his head nervously. "What did you destroy, maim, or incinerate? "I asked wearily. Thalia would probably laugh at this. "Well… "Percy started and I winced.

"What did you do, boy? ".

"I might have created a huge mess from the insides of straw, and I might have also knocked over some blood red juice… Only possibilities. "I grinned at him. "Good boy! Nothing was completely destroyed! "I laughed. "For once, "He muttered.

"So, Annabeth, what did you do? "Haymitch turned his sober gaze to me.

"I… Attacked things with my knife. I stabbed a lot of things, "I told him, noticing that Percy stifled a laugh. We finished dinner, and moved to the living room to watch the scores.

We all held our breath as the female District 11 tribute disappeared, and Percy appeared. "Percy Jackson, nine. "The announcer said. "Woo, Percy! Whatever you did was good enough! "I yelled, and hugged him. He stroked my hair as we watched, tensed, for my score.

"Annabeth Chase, eleven. "My face showed up, next to a number eleven. I stood there, gaping at the screen. "That may seem like a good thing, but it isn't always. "Katniss warned from Percy's other side. "People will either want you on their team, or kill you even more. "She murmured.

"Well, tomorrow is the interview right? "I asked. Suddenly Percy's face split into a wide grin.

"I have an idea, ".

**Blazerules34: OK, I got some questions from someone. One: How does Annabeth get the memories?**

**Well, Annabeth gets those memories because the Mist is weaved really strong around them, so even **_**they**_** have some memories from even though they never lived there.**

**Two: How did Percy get his name in the reaping bowel?**

**I think a lot of people were wondering this, actually. The Gods placed it there, well, not them specifically, a minion like a Harpy.**

**Bye see you guys soon!**


	8. Arena

**Blazerules34: Hey guys! So, I read The Mark of Athena again… And when I finished it, I threw the book down, and yelled "I hate you! You are dead to me!". And then I was like "No, no no, I don't mean in!" And then it dawned on me. "Holy crap, I'm talking to an inanimate object." XD**

**My FAVORITES scene's from that book are when Percy and Annabeth reunite (Who doesn't get the warm fuzzy feeling when Annabeth judo-flips him?) and when she throws her dagger into the harbor and Percy appears. Review your favorite scene!**

The next morning, Flavius woke Percy and me up. His eyes watered as he looked at Percy and I cuddled in the bed, but he squared his shoulders and woke us up. Well, we were already awake, but that's not the point. He sent Percy to Portia, and I followed him to the prep room.

They did a full body polish, and waxed me once more, and did my nails. Octavia's lip trembled, and at Venia's glare, set her nail polish down and left the room. Flavius was next. He set the hair brush down, and left. Then it was just Venia and me. When she finished my makeup, she hugged me. "Be strong," She whispered, and was gone.

Cinna arrived moments later. "Please don't cry," I told him. "I won't, I promise. I only work my emotions in my clothing, so it hurts me, no one else," Cinna told me as he grabbed something from a hanger. He made me close my eyes. A heavy dress settled on me, and pearls, pearls, pearls everywhere!

I opened my eyes. I was in one of Katniss' wedding gowns, and with a gasp, I recognized it. At least, the Mist did. Percy and I were supposed to get married this year. I was going to wear this dress. And now, as most will believe, it won't happen. I gazed mournfully at Cinna, who studied me.

"I would tell you everything would be OK, but I can't," He told me, and in that moment, I liked him even more for his honesty. "I know," I responded. He took my arm, and with my sleeves trailing to the ground, led me into the hallway. Katniss was waiting for me. Her eyes teared up, which was very surprising. "You can do this, my sister," She told me.

Her words didn't register till she was gone, and when they did, I was swept into a flashback from the Mist.

~_Flashback~_

"_Katniss, wait up!" I yelled as I struggled up the stairs to the school room. Katniss, my older sister, waited at the top, looked at me amusedly. "Annabeth, sometimes you're as slow as Prim!" She laughed when I finally reached her. I rolled my eyes, and braced myself for the day to come._

_Today was the day Katniss was receiving her wedding gowns. She was going to wait till I got home from school, so I could see her be all pretty and stuff. _

_As soon as the bell rang, I was out the door. I ran to the house, pulled open the door. The house was filled with people. Camera's, decorations, stuff like that. And there was Katniss, in the middle of a beautiful dress with creams pearls everywhere on it, sleeves that went to the floor. When the pictures were done for that one, I raced up to her._

"_You look beautiful, I love this dress!" I told her as she was overwhelmed by people. "Tell you what; when you and Percy get married this year, you can have it," She smirked as I blushed._

_~End Flashback~ _**(A/N: This is what the Mist made Annabeth remember)**

Katniss thought I was her sister. No wonder she'd been mad at me when I volunteered; she didn't want me to die. Percy came out of a door a minute later, dressed in a tux. He looked so handsome it made my heart ache. I knew we were going to drive the crowd insane tonight. "One more thing," Cinna said, "Don't spin until its grand finale. More fire,"

I was surprised by the mixed emotions at the interview. The female tribute from District 1 froze when she saw me, then growled "You look ridiculous!" and stomped away. But others, like Johanna Mason, stopped and gave me sympathetic looks. "Make him pay for this," She straightened my necklace and then disappeared.

The crowd was in hysterics by the time I was called up. The tributes had whipped them up, making them cry out. The sight of me in a wedding dress didn't help. "So, Annabeth, what do you think of the Capitol?" Ceaser asked me right away. "It's beautiful, everything is so well-constructed," I replied.

"Ah, you're into architecture?" He asked, and I nodded. Ceaser moved on to a different subject. "So, this dress…" He indicated it, and I blushed. "I… I was going to borrow this dress from Katniss when I married Percy this year," I told him. Shouts filled the air. Ceaser waited till the crowd calmed, slightly. "How long have you known Percy?"

"I've known him as long as I can remember. We've been dating for three years," I completely made that up. Sure, in the _Mist_ I knew him forever, but in reality, five years. And we've only been dating a few months. "Ah, that's so, so, sad. You have my condolences," Ceaser said. "Now… Katniss is you're sister? How do you think it makes her feel to have you here?"

"I think it makes her upset, and angry. If I don't make it, I don't know what will happen," I knew now was the time. "Ceaser, do you mind if I show you all something?" I asked. He shook his head, and I stood. "Ah, the flames, are you wearing them?" He asked and I nodded. I lifted my arms above my head, and spun.

Yells sounded again as smoke filled came off the dress. Burned pieces of the dress flew off, while others stayed on. Pearls clattered to the floor, and when I finally stopped spinning, I gaped at myself. The dress was shorter, shaped almost like… Feathers.

"Whoah, what are you supposed to be?" Ceaser asked, waving away smoke. "A Mockingjay, I think," And I knew Cinna was in a lot of trouble. Mockingjays aren't exactly welcome here. And then the buzzer buzzed, and I was escorted off stage with everyone else. I watched through a TV screen as Percy came on next.

"Hi, Percy. What a girl you have here!" Ceaser laughed. Percy did as well. "Yeah, I love her a lot. Though she's threatened to beat me up more than once," He grinned, and I smirked. Yes, yes I do. They continued to talk a bit more, before Ceaser turned the conversation back to me, of course.

"So, you two were going to get married?" Ceaser asked, and Percy nodded. "I wish we'd done it earlier though," He sighed and I knew it was coming. "Why? Anytime spent together must have been enough," Ceaser said, actually sounding confused. "When it's love, enough is never enough. I wish we did it earlier because of the baby," Percy said bitterly. More shouts filled the air, and Ceaser couldn't calm it.

Percy got off stage, and in the chaos, something significant happened. I grabbed Chaff's stump of an arm (Which felt weird) and grasped Percy's arm. Percy grabbed someone else's hand, and the lights flickered out. I knew that the cameras had seen us, and it was too late to be cut from the show.

The next morning, we were woken up by our stylists again. Haymitch had said goodbye last night, as well as Peeta, Katniss, and Effie. I said goodbye to Percy as well, promising to see him in the arena. _The arena._ "Love you," I called. "Love you too," Percy called back as we were led different ways.

As I was led to the roof, I was frozen onto the ladder, while a lady inserted a tracker device into my arm. I didn't even flinch. The helicopter took off, and Cinna urged me to eat. When I couldn't manage that, he made me drink. Remembering what Katniss said about water, I drank two cups. When we landed, I couldn't see where we were, and figured we were underground.

Cinna took me into a room. There, clothing was waiting for me. It was a light blue jumper with a purple plastic belt. "What do you think?" I asked Cinna. "It won't do much to reflect the sun, but," He shrugged and helped me get into it. "Are you ready?" He asked. "No," I told him truthfully.

"_Tributes, mount the plates,"_ A female voice said, and I shuddered. Cinna motioned for me to do so, but before he did, he pinned something to my shirt. It was the Mockingjay pin, and he held a finger to his lips. As I stepped aboard, glass surrounded me, making it impossible to escape. But I didn't move up. Panicked, I looked at Cinna, eyes wide.

The door slammed open, and three Peacekeepers ran into the room. One struck Cinna with a club, and I yelled in shock. The other two held him down, while the third struck him again and again. I cried as he was drug away. One Peacekeeper waved mockingly at me as they left. Suddenly, the plate was rising up. Cinna's attack had been planned to unnerve me.

I blinked as the plate rose up, over blue. Blue was everywhere. As I blinked, trying to see my surroundings, my eyes cleared. I grinned wickedly as the blue came into focus. Waves lapped at my feet. _Oh, we're in Percy's element now… This _will_ be fun._

**Blazerules34: 1,634 words! Yay! Hope you like this, Review what you think! And Review your favorite scene in The Mark of Athena!**


	9. Attack

**Blazerules34: Wow… It's been almost a month since I updated…. Oops. So sorry! I've been really busy with Science Fair and History Fair and school and the world, so yeah. Oh, I recently saw Breaking Dawn Part 2, and I think Kristen Stewart made up for all the emotional fails in that movie. And, it made me cry. The **_**part**_** did. And you know what I'm talking about when you see it. Don't spoil it in the reviews!**

**A lot of you are saying this is your favorite Percy Jackson/Hunger Games story. Thanks so much! Love you all!**

I stayed where I was on the plate. The sixty seconds were being counted down, and even though I'm _pretty_ sure I can't blow up in the water, I don't want to find out. So instead, I searched my surroundings.

47, 46, 45, 44…

There was another tribute next to me on the right, and a sandbar to my left. All equal distance. The sandbar led to the Cornucopia and as I looked around, I noticed the pattern. Two people, sandbars on a side of them. Spokes on a wheel.

35, 34, 33, 32…

I found Percy, and saw he already found me. He was grinning, and he had good reason too. Water, _salt water_, everywhere. I got the feeling that we were probably going to live.

28, 27, 26, 25…

I looked at the Cornucopia. There, there was my dagger, on the corner of the pile of stuff. I saw Percy's pen on the outskirts, and I almost laughed. A pen. I wonder what the Gamemakers will think when it turns into a sword…

16, 15, 14, 13…

I waited. As soon as the countdown was over, I was going to dive in. I knew Percy would do the same, but he was on the opposite side. We'd storm this place.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1…

Now! I dived in as the gong sounded, not opening my eyes, but I swam to the surface. Salt may bother mine, but Percy… Nope. Lucky guy. I paddled to the Cornucopia, and when I reached the sand, I ran up, eyes wide and searching for anyone. I grabbed my dagger, and a bow. I grabbed two quivers and put them and the bow on my back. I grabbed a backpack, and decided to look up and check my surroundings.

I shouldn't have worried. It seems like not everyone here knew how to swim. They looked around confused, on their plates. Easy kills. But I wasn't about to be the one who killed them. I have a reputation back home, and that's something I got to keep. I didn't see Percy, but someone moved towards me, and I reacted automatically, pulling the bow from my shoulder and stringing it in one motion.

It was Finnick. He had his triton aimed at me, as I had my bow aimed at him. But then he laughed, and relaxed. "Good thing we're allies, right?" He said, showing me a gold band around his wrist. It matched the color of my Mockingjay pin. I stared at him, wide-eyed. Haymitch.

He didn't notice my hesitation or confusion. "Where's Percy?" He asked. A yell sounded, and the sound of a wave crashing on shore. "Found him," I muttered, running over to where the sound came from. Percy had his pen/sword and a backpack, and suddenly, his sword grew into its full length. Finnick stared. "Where did he get that?" He demanded, and I ignored him.

"Percy, let's go!" I yelled, and he nodded. He struck one guy on the head with his sword hilt and ran over to us. "Lovely day," He panted. He was soaking wet, for appearances sake. Suddenly, splashing distracted me and I looked over to where it came from. Mags.

"I got her," Finnick said, and dove into the water. Mags was paddling in the water, bobbing up and down. "Looks like someone figured it out," I muttered, looking down at the plastic purple belt. I looked down at it. A flotation device, of course. Suddenly, Percy yelled and shoved me down. Something whistled over my head and I saw it was a knife.

Brutus ran towards me, the belt in front of his face. I aimed at him, and the arrow bounced off and hit his thigh instead. He came at us, and I dodged again as Percy looked for Finnick. "Come on, Finnick, let's go!" I yelled and ran for the island-like thing, Percy close behind.

Percy and I got to the beach and I looked around for Finnick. He had Mags sitting on his shoulder, and was running full speed towards us. "Go!" He said, sprinting past us and continuing on the trail. We followed close behind.

Finnick slowed down to a walk when we were in the safety of the trees. He kept Mags on his shoulder, though. Percy walked in front, Finnick in the middle, and me in the rear. I kept my bow drawn, and I kept my dagger in my hand just in case. We only stopped once, for Finnick to rest, and I got the feeling that it was more for Mags than him.

We continued on the trail, which got steeper. When we took another break, the cannons boomed. I counted eight. Sixteen tributes left. I sighed. It was getting darker.

We kept moving, when something drew my eye. A square, like the one I had seen at the Gamemakers table. I turned to warn everyone, right as Percy used his sword to cut some vines down. A flash of the real world, and then Percy was thrown down, eyes closed, not moving.

"Percy!" I shrieked.

**Blazerules34: Done! Ha world! Let me know what you think, bye guys!**


	10. Thirst

**Blazerules34: Jeez… It's been so long… I'm really sorry about this. I know it's been a really, really long time, but I have my reasons. My mom's been getting to me, in the way that parents do. She just has to accept that I'd rather sit at home and write instead of playing soccer.**

**Really, it isn't much of a problem. I've been swamped with homework, and lately, since December actually, I've been working out at the gym. I think there's something wrong with me. Instead of being energized and crap, I'm usually tired afterwards. And yes, another problem I've had that's interfered is that… The One Direction Infection has caught me. Gods, I'm embarrassed. **

**To those who mention to me that Athena is a brunette, yes, thank you, I know. I'm not going to fix that error. I take pride in my mistakes, so that I won't make them again. She will be a brunette if she shows up in this story again, thank you very much.**

I was filled with a panic I've never really felt before. Here I am, in the future, no help in sight. I knelt beside Percy and tried to stay calm. I've taken classes. I can do this. I _know_I can do this. It's something I've had to do before.

Without wasting another second, I clasped my hands together and pumped them down onto his chest, trying to get Percy's heart started. Then, I tilted his head up and tried to get him breathing again.

Minutes passed, and fear trickled in. Mags and Finnick were silent, trying not to distract me. Any second, a cannon could sound. And I'd be alone in this cold, harsh, distant future where America had fallen. Cold determination spread through me, and I tried again, and again, and again.

He sat up with a gasp and started coughing. I sat back and wiped my face, discovering that I was crying. "Oh, you stupid idiot!" I yelled and tackled him in a hug, knocking him back onto the ground. My face was dangerously close to his. I could see my reflection in his beautiful eyes.

_Don't think about his eyes. They're your weakness._

"If you ever do something like that again, I will kill you!" I growled, shoving my knee into his chest. Everything was silent and I wiped my eyes again frantically, trying to stop the tears. Oh, I bet the Capitol loves this. I got off of him and stepped back, eyeing him warily. Percy just smiled his ever-so-irritating smile.

"Wouldn't dream of doing anything like that again," he coughed again, and sympathy flashed inside of me. I stepped back and wiped at my face angrily. Mags sympathetically handed me moss of some kind. I didn't question it; I just wiped my eyes and blew my nose before flinging it to the ground.

"It's her hormones, man," Finnick held out a hand to Percy and he took it. "Give her some space, or she'll bite your head off." Finnick advised. I snorted. "She'd bite my head off even without the hormones," Percy said what I was thinking.

Ignoring the two men, I noticed Mags. She was eating some kind of nut. "Mags! That could be poisonous!" I yelped, prepared to smack the nuts out of her hands. Mugs mumbled something I couldn't understand.

"Oh, she's been eating those for a while. If she dies, she dies," Finnick shrugged. I peered at him, my eyes narrowed. For someone who seemed to want to protect her earlier, he sure seems uncaring. I shrugged lightly. Not my problem.

But something did worry me, but not about that. Percy has the Achilles' heel. Does that mean he isn't immune to being electrocuted? Obviously it does. I looked over at Percy, and could tell he was thinking the same thing. He had his brooding face on.

"Well, let's keep moving; think you can do it, Percy?" Finnick asked, already picking Mags up. She sat comfortably on his shoulder. I glanced back at Percy; already, his strength was returning. But I knew we would have to stop soon. Another side effect of the Achilles' heel was being extremely exhausted.

Percy nodded and we started again, this time with me in the front. No one questioned it, which I was grateful for. I wanted to keep an eye out for the little chink in the armor. I kept one hand on my dagger, looking ahead for any danger.

We didn't get too far before we stopped. I sensed it was mainly for Percy, who did look tired. "I'll see if I can find something to eat. And water," I said as Percy sat down on the ground and Mags sat beside him, still eating her nuts. "I'll get something set up for a shelter," Finnick contributed.

I nodded and left before Percy could protest. He needed to rest, get his full strength back. I wandered out, looking for water. It was sweltering in here, and we'd soon dehydrate if we didn't get anything to drink. There's salt water, but that won't help anything. Wait a second… What if Percy could make the salt water fresh?

It's worth a shot, but I think we should only do it if we're desperate. It would give away his powers, and those are an advantage. Something rustled in the trees above my head and I looked up, cautiously. I aimed my bow upward.

A strange animal was in the tree, not moving. I automatically dubbed it as a 'tree rat'. I shot it, and somehow managed to clean it. Before I did that, though, I noticed its muzzle was wet. It has been drinking, and not long ago. Hopefully, I circled around, and found nothing. I really hope Grover won't be mad about this.

I brought it back to camp triumphantly, at least somewhat. I told everyone about how its muzzle had been wet. "Did you watch it before you shot it?" Finnick questioned, and I shook my head. I noticed they had moved closer to where I just now noticed the boundary.

I decided to play a little trick. "Do you guys hear that?" I asked, trying to sound confused. "Hear what?" Percy asked immediately. "Shh, there it is!" I whispered frantically, gesturing towards the boundary. Everyone quieted. I took a stick and threw it, and with a fizzle an pop, it shot back at me, burned.

"Nice going, Annabeth," Percy murmured. "Why do you think you can hear it?" Finnick asked cautiously. I shrugged. "When I was younger, I had some hearing problem in my right ear, and I got it fixed up. I've always had really good hearing." I responded. Ha.

"Well, you just became your weight in gold," Finnick grinned. I laughed.

As it became darker, it stayed hot. Where was the water?

**Blazerules34: There you guys go, about a thousand words. I'm sorry. Oh, and I've also been getting reviews about how this is too similar to Catching Fire. Don't worry. As you can see, I've already changed it up a bit. R&R, please!**


	11. Water

**Blazerules34: Yeah, it's been another few months, hasn't it? I'm sorry…I keep promising that it won't happen again, yet it does. I just haven't been feeling the stories I have on here. I know, I know, I need to get back into them. I'm trying. I love you guys, your support is what enables me to post chapters at all.**

**Also, I'm going to take this story at my own pace, which means people die when I make them. I don't want it to be exactly like Catching Fire, but it will be quite similar.**

**I don't own Percy Jackson, or Hunger Games characters.**

That night, we waited for the anthem to see who had died. Suddenly, the sky lit up and directly above us was the pictures. Only four dead. The audience would be out for blood that much I could tell. Well, the Capitol people, anyway.

"Do you think it's safe to sleep all at once?" I asked Finnick. He shook his head. "You get some sleep, Annabeth, I'll take first watch. I'll wake you up in a few hours." He patted my shoulder and moved out, sitting in front of the entrance.

I didn't protest, exhausted and thirsty. We were all thirsty. But as I drifted into sleep, something caught my eye. A parachute, drifting down from above. I shot up at once, startling Percy and Mags. I stood beside Finnick, waiting for it to land.

Once it did, Percy opened it, as we were all to weary to do so. Inside was a tubular like item, with a curved end that had a lip. I knew what it was at once. I just couldn't remember the name, but I knew its purpose.

"I know what it is!" I blurted out, suddenly realizing why the tree rat's muzzle was wet. "What?" Percy asked, eyes glittering. Suddenly it was amazing that his girlfriend was smart. "It's what you use to get sap from trees. Which means…" I trailed off, looking at the trees.

"Annabeth, you're brilliant," Percy kissed my cheek, and I swatted him away absently. I walked over to a tree. Wincing, I stabbed my dagger into the tree, and twisted. My dagger would be okay, and I knew that. Celestial bronze wasn't damaged by things like trees. Then I pulled it out and stuck the tap in.

It took a few minutes, in which everyone gathered around me, waiting anxiously. And then, a little drizzle of water came out. Everyone cheered, and then stopped, looking around in case anyone attacked. No one did, thank the gods.

Mags had made these woven baskets, and hurried back to our camp and grabbed a few. And then we let the baskets fill up, so happy we didn't even move. As soon as the basket was full, we let Mags take the first drink. Then Finnick, then me, and then Percy.

I watched him as he drank. Fresh water didn't restore him as much as salt, but it worked well enough. Immediately he looked better, stronger, and healthier. I just hoped no one else would notice. Then we drank the second bowl, laughing.

The water was warm, tepid even, but it was water. We need water to survive. So no one cared.

Afterwards, we went back to our camp in good spirits. Finnick sat down in front of our shelter, and we fell asleep.

All too soon, Finnick shook me awake. I sat up, grabbed my dagger, and moved to where he had been sitting before. Finnick was out before I even had the chance to look around.

It was peaceful for about an hour, when I felt a little trickle of fear go down my spine. I stood up, grabbed my bow and arrows, aimed around. Nothing. I sat down again, trying to relax.

_Run._

One word, spoken inside my head. I stood up, obeying immediately. After all, you should always obey your mother. Athena had spoken to me, and I was going to listen. I turned, and saw it: a white wall coming towards us.

"Wake up!" I shouted into the shelter, and Percy sat bolt upright. He was pale, green eyes almost glowing. "Come on!" I shouted again, fear making my voice break. Finnick woke up next, and grabbed Mags, who was still asleep.

"What, where?" Finnick shouted, and I pointed at the fog that was descending on us. Percy went pale. "Acid!" he yelped, and ran for it. I bolted after him, glad I had the tap with me. Finnick charged past me, and I pushed myself for speed. Percy slowed down, running with me.

"I thought I sensed something," he muttered as we ran. I nodded. Fog was a type of water, so of course he could sense it. And that's when I tripped.

At once, the fog's creeping tendrils were on me. It burned, like I was being roasted slowly over a fire. Percy grabbed my arm, dragging me along as I stood and stumbled after him. Then my arm started spazzing, and I cursed. Acid fog that damaged our nerves. Wonderful.

Percy and I ran, and Finnick was waiting for us. Mags was awake now, and she gestured to us. Her eyes were wide with fear. Even Mags was terrified. And then we ran again.

My arm danced around wildly, sometimes smacking me or Percy. The left side of his face was drooping, but I didn't care. Live, live, we need to live. And then Finnick shouted from up ahead, and I saw what he was looking at; the beach. We only needed to go so far, and maybe it won't follow us. That thought gave me hope, and drove me towards the beach. As soon as I hit the sand, my legs collapsed from under me, but I kept going, dragging myself with one arm to be as far from the forest as possible.

Percy was near the water, but he couldn't move. "Water," he croaked, close to his father's element. And then he collapsed face first into it. I would have laughed, but I was too tired to move.

Surviving was going to be a lot harder than I thought.

**There you go. Thanks guys!**


	12. Nymph

**Blazerules34: Hey guys! Thanks for all of the reviews! Love you! Now please, enjoy.**

I must have fallen asleep or something, because the next thing I know, I was on my back and Percy was shaking me awake. He was dripping warm water on me, and I shrank away. His touch hurt.

But then I noticed how alive he looked, and that he looked almost…proud. Which means he must have discovered something, because that's not a normal expression for him.

"Annabeth, come here! If you submerge yourself in the water, the acid comes out!" Percy exclaimed, and I sat up. No wonder he looked proud.

I moved over to the water, wincing at how rough the sand felt, and stuck my hand in the water. There was an odd sense of drawing-out, and as I looked into the water, something seeped out of my hand in a white, milky cloud. Mags then joined me by the water.

I pulled my hand out, realizing how much pain the acid had been causing me. I stuck my whole arm in then. Throughout the night, I continued to draw the acid out. The worst of it was snorting up water, but Percy helped by sending a bit of water up my nose and out. I was very appreciative of that. I felt bad that he couldn't exactly help Mags, but we didn't want to give ourselves away.

After I was done, Percy hugged me. He smelled of salt, and I suppose I did too. He kissed me briefly, and his lips were salty too.

Then Finnick groaned and we jumped apart. Mags was looking at us, in the way a parent see's their daughter making out with someone. I blushed, not used to being criticized about my relationship with Percy. Back home, everyone was used to us.

But Finnick needed help, seeing as he was still passed out. Percy and I wordlessly agreed to submerge him slowly in the water, bit by bit. First, we dragged his feet into the water. Then, after a few minutes, we pulled him in a bit more, and so on.

But we had to wake him up eventually so he could get the acid out of his face.

"Finnick, wake up!" We shook him, and he shrank away from us, groaning. "I'm awake, I'm awake. What do you want?" he asked, looking confused as he sat up in the water. He only got more confused as he saw Mags bobbing up and down in the water a few feet away.

"The water draws out the acid, and all you have to do is get your face and throat, nostrils and stuff." Percy explained, and I felt kind of proud of him. Mags mumbled something, and I looked back at her. She gestured to me, and I swam out to her.

"Everything okay, Mags?" I asked, frowning. She was the oldest, and I've always treated my elders with respect.

She babbled about something, and I sighed. I can't understand her. I looked back at Finnick for help, but he was rinsing his throat with salt water, so I decided not to bother him.

Then Mags pointed down at the water, and I almost fainted. A girl smiled and waved up at me. My eyes widened in shock. A nymph? What is she doing here?

"P-Percy, come here, please…" I said quietly. What if the camera's caught her? What about the Mist? _Why can Mags see her?_

Percy dove in and walked over next to me. Then he froze, frowning, looking down at the water. His sea green eyes widened, and he started communicating with the girl in his mind.

Then he swallowed and sat back down, watching as the nymph disappeared into the water, dissolving into it.

"What did she say?" I whispered urgently. Percy looked troubled, and he was pale. "I can't tell you," he muttered. I frowned at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not liking this. It was obviously something bad. He should be able to tell me, right? Of course he can tell me.

"It is not for your ears, girl," Mags said in a shockingly cool voice. Percy and I froze.

"The nymph was a messenger for Perseus Jackson and for him only. The message was delivered, and he can tell no one." Mags smiled. "Welcome, brother, I have long awaited you."

**Blazerules34: HOW'S THAT FOR A PLOT TWIST?! YEAH. Please review!**


	13. Explaining

**Blazerules34: I told you there was gonna be a twist. You never listened. You were all like, 'this is too much like the book. Wahhhh.' And stuff. Not like I minded c: I hope you guys realize I'm coming up with this story as I type. So uhm. Yeah.**

**Love you guys! Thanks for all the reviews! If you ever have any questions, please PM me!**

**Percy**

I stared at Mags in shock. What did she mean, brother?

Well, obviously she meant we're related. Duh, Percy.

No, wait. We're related?

"What?" I whispered, aware the Finnick was snorting salt water not too far away.

Mags looked at me calmly. Annabeth, who I've rarely ever seen speechless, was quiet. I know it kind of hurt her when I told her what the nymph told me, but…

That message. Just thinking about it chilled me to the bone. And the nymph delivering it, she had been all happy. Maybe she was relieved. I know I wouldn't like to carry the weight of the burden, to make sure that the message was delivered.

And she told me not to tell anyone. I'm sure Mags knows, because she knew it was only for me. So to sum it up, Mags knows all.

But from what my father's servant said, my path in this will be difficult. Not very reassuring.

"Yes, I am a daughter of Poseidon. There are very few of us demigods in Panem, but there are secret pockets of us everywhere. In every district." Mags explained, but only managed to confuse me more.

"But you knew we were coming…"Annabeth said slowly, as if trying to make sure Mags was all okay in the head.

"Of course I knew. All demigods know. There was a prophecy, many years, when Panem first rose from the ashes of America. And that was our last oracle." Mags bowed her head in grief.

My head swam. No oracle? Even when we didn't have Rachel, we had a mummified corpse.

That sounded weird, even to me.

Anyway. The spirit of Delphi doesn't just leave. It usually sits in the body of the Oracle, even if there is no way for the body to live. Well, actually, that was because Hades cursed it and all. But the spirit passes on to someone else.

So what happened that killed the Oracle for it to never return?

Something terrible.

After Mags was quiet for a moment, she looked back up at Annabeth and me, her face showing how hopeful she is.

"We have long waited for you two to come and save us." Mags shook her head. "I did not think it would be in my lifetime, though."

"Mags!" Finnick called, his voice sounding rough from his salt water gargling experience. Mags glanced at him and babbled something, and I looked at her in amazement. All this time, it had been an act. How could she do that to herself?

I looked at Finnick, who was warily eyeing a section of the forest.

"We've got company," he said quietly, and I followed his gaze to where three blood-covered people emerged from the forest.

**Blazerules34: I'm sorry .-. thanks for all the reviews that say this is the best cross over they've read! That always makes my day, to read those :D love you guys.**


	14. Wire

**Blzerules34: Woo! I got a lot of reviews. It makes my day every time someone reviews on this story. I've got so many good feelings about this story, and so many positive responses are always wonderful. I feel like I don't appreciate you guys enough, so soon I'm going to start responding to reviews on here. Not by PMing, but if you'd rather I do that, I will. So thank you for reading this story. God bless you.**

Automatically, my hand went to Riptide, which I kept in sword form since most people would find it weird that a pen turned to a sword. But Riptide wasn't hanging from my homemade sheath; I had left it on the beach. I cursed to myself as I ran for it, Annabeth beside me, and the terrible (to be honest, it is awful. I was never good at Home Ec, besides that one purse) sheath slapped against my leg.

I grabbed Riptide and whirled around, sure that someone would be trying to assassinate me while I was grabbing my sword. Riptide slashed out around me, and I almost stabbed Mags. She gave me an irritated look, and I tensed. Where are they?

A scream told me where a second later. A red-stained figure had collapsed on the sand, and the other was screaming at it, and looked like they were about to kick their companion. That seemed a bit odd to me, and why aren't they attacking us?

Finnick, who I hadn't noticed since I was caught up watching our "enemies", grinned and started forward, waving cheerfully. I gave him a look. I am _pretty_ sure (I could be wrong, who knows?) that we aren't supposed to be having fun and visiting, unless you're allies.

Finnick didn't seem to realize that. Or maybe he did, and decided to chance it.

"Johanna!" Finnick cried, and the screaming one stopped and looked up. I could have sworn she grinned, even from so far away.

"Finnick! There you are!" Johanna ran toward him, and he picked her up, swinging her up into the air. She's laughing. "I've been looking for you all over! With those…people." She spits the last word, as if her two companions are the people she hates the most in the world.

"Hey now," Finnick said in a warning tone, which I only barely heard. Annabeth had raced forward to help the other two, not caring about Johanna or Finnick. It surprised me that she was so trusting of him already, but I felt more wary. This is a Do or Die game, nothing like Capture the Flag games at home.

Quickly I charged after her, and crouched down beside her, looking down at the bloodstained figure of Wiress. Her eyes were shut, and I could only tell she was alive by the slight movement to her chest.

"What happened?" I asked, standing up when Annabeth does to help her move the unconscious woman closer to the water. Together, we carried her heavy body to where the waves were gently breaking over the sand, and set her down. Annabeth immediately got to work cleaning her off, and I let her.

Johanna practically growled, giving Wiress a disgusted look as if by passing out she had personally offended her. It made me like her even less.

"So those clouds start rumbling right? And then it starts to rain, and we were so thirsty, of course, that we lifted our faces up and tried to drink it. But it wasn't rain, or even water. It was thick, hot blood." Johanna said, and for a second I felt a twinge of sympathy for her.

Finnick makes a noise of pity, which I'm sure that Johanna doesn't appreciate. "We have a way to get some water, come on," he took her by the hand and dragged her over to the nearest tree. Mags came over to Annabeth to help clean up Wiress, and I headed towards the man that had sat down in the sand, looking exhausted. Beetee.

I helped the man up, patted his back and led him to the water. He didn't seem as bad as Wiress (obviously; he isn't knocked out) is, so I only watched as he began washing the blood off of him. I shuddered. This place is terrible, forcing teenagers to kill each other.

How had America fallen like this? What had happened that had caused this? I don't know any of these answers. Annabeth doesn't either, and I'm sure that it hurts her. Annabeth likes to know things; thankfully I've noticed this over the past years.

Beetee finished washing himself, and turned to look back at the forest. "We need to go back," he said quietly. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Why do you want to do that?" I asked as Johanna, giving Beetee a vicious look, Finnick and Annabeth walked over. Wiress, still passed out, was lying on the sand underneath a tree, so at least she had shade.

"Because Brutus has my wire, and in order to win this, I need it back," Beetee told us.

**Blazerules34: oh hi guys. Uhm. Hi. Yeah. Sorry. I'm awful I know, I know. I started this a few months ago actually. How was The House of Hades? I LOVED it. But Nico…(spoiler) is gay? WHAT. And how about that Catching Fire movie? Loved that too. So please, review and tell me what's going on with all of that!**H


	15. Planning

**Blazerules34: Heh heh, I'm sorry, don't hurt me please. I've just been extraordinarily busy these past few months. I'll update when I can for you guys. Sorry. 3**

Finnick had started over towards us, Johanna right behind him. He stopped in his tracks, looking at Beetee. "We need it to win?" Finnick asked, his face going slightly pale. Beetee nodded his head, and the two shared a look, Johanna looking between the two like they were arguing.

Finally, she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at all of us. Annabeth, Mags, and Wiress were still over by the water, and I was glad for it. Something weird was going on here.

"Alright, no problem," Johanna muttered, looking at all of us. "There's no problem with that at all. All we do is kill him, and take the wire." She made it sound like the simplest thing out there, like killing Brutus was as easy as taking a walk in the park.

Beetee pushed up his glasses, looking at her with a certain level of wariness. "Brutus is…particularly brutal." He said feebly, but she only snorted.

"So what? There's-"she did a quick count, "Seven of us. Mags included in that count," she added when Finnick gave her a glance.

I sighed. Time to be a Seaweed Brain. "I agree with Johanna."

Everyone, excluding those by the water, looked at me. Johanna, surprised that I agreed with her, shrugged slightly, nodding her head. "See, even he agrees with me." She told us all, and I rolled my eyes.

"I only agreed with you because if it's what we need to win, we need it." I snapped at her, something I rarely do, but she was aggravating me. I may be an idiot, but only sometimes.

And we all knew there was no "we" in this. Only one person survived the Games, and I intended to stop it, but again, nobody knows that besides Annabeth, Mags possibly, and that Nymph that mysteriously disappeared.

"What's going on?" Annabeth considered the standoff, her hands on her hips, but I knew it was only so she could grab her knife that was on a sheath on her thigh. She looked at everyone's face in turn, making sure no one was about to stab the other.

"Well, uh…" Beetee pushed his glasses up on his nose again. "We need to take my wire back from Brutus and Johanna says we need to kill him, so we may as well do it now. Percy agrees with her," he summed up quickly.

I waited for her to glare at me and call me a Seaweed Brain, but surprisingly, she didn't. She nodded her head, her expression thoughtful. "That might be the best course of action," she finally said, and my jaw dropped.

She gave me a slightly amused look before continuing. "Well, we do outnumber him, but we can assume he's with Enobaria, but if we attack them in the right way, we can k-kill them." She stuttered over "kill", and I think it really just occurred to her what she was saying. We avoided killing in the Battle of New York, unless it was a monster of some kind. But that's different.

She looked at me, and there was just sadness in her eyes that made me feel hollowed out, completely devoid of any joy. Instead, I felt sick. I don't want to have to kill people. I avoided it all back in the war, only to be confronted with it once again.

I felt like I was going to throw up, but I didn't say anything. Everything here was sick and twisted. I thought some of the gods were twisted in my time, but they were just the tip of the iceberg.

How could they have let this happen to their host country, after all? The gods are different, but I never expected they would allow this.

I felt a chill pass over me, despite the heat of the sun today. What if…they haven't done anything about this because they _can't_? What if now, in the future, they're really weak and don't have enough power to stop this? That has to be it. Why else would Annabeth and I be here?

I rubbed at my eyes, and then looked up when someone said my name.

"Huh?" I mumbled.

Johanna rolled her eyes. "Are you good with the plan or not?" She barely stopped from calling me a moron.

"Yes, yes, it's a great plan…" I answered despite not knowing what the plan was. I sighed softly, wishing this could have been easier.

**Blazerules34: So! How was that? Please review!**


	16. I Thought We'd Be Okay

**Blazerules34: Well, it's been another few months, hasn't it? My bad. Sorry guys. I still love you all and appreciate that you're sticking with me! I just looked at what Communities this story is in and this is it:**

**Stories: the best.**

**:')**

**Thank you for your time.**

**~Annabeth~**

"Do you think this will work?" I asked Percy, looking over at him. He wasn't looking at me, but straight ahead towards the dying sun that reflected in his eyes. He looked calm, which I suppose is encouraging, but Percy's gotten remarkably good at hiding his expressions.

Without looking at me, he spoke. "I don't know, Annabeth. We've never been so out of our league as we are here. Even-"He stopped, his eyes darting around to make sure we were alone, and then dropped his voice and continued. "Even the Battle of Manhattan, we knew we had a chance, a minuscule one, but here…"

I looked at him, partially because he used the word "minuscule". But I really looked at him, the kind of looking in which you stare into the depths of the other's soul, for the first time in a while. It didn't take a genius to figure out something was bringing him down.

"Percy…" I murmured, narrowing my eyes slightly at him. This isn't like him at all! He's usually slightly optimistic. "What's wrong?"

He turned to face me, finally, and his eyes were bright and feverish. "Annabeth, think about it. Can you imagine the gods letting this happen? I know…at least some of them…" He looked sick for a brief second, but then masked it. "So what happened here? Why aren't they stopping this from happening themselves?"

I think what stunned me the most was that Percy thought of that before I did. But, now that I think about it…it makes sense, what he said. Why haven't the gods stopped this from happening? Are they powerless here? Can they only watch, wait, and hope for this to end?

Or the more chilling thought: do they like this world like this? Do they take these deaths as sacrifices…for them?

I know perfectly well that everyone in this arena isn't supposed to be a sacrifice to the gods, but does Zeus know that? Poseidon? Athena? Do they even really care?

I guess Percy saw the look on my face, because the next thing I know, I'm in his arms, and his hands are overlapping on my back. I hug him back, burying my face in his chest. Taking a deep breath, I discover one thing hasn't really changed. He still smells like the sea.

"We'll figure this out, Annabeth. Well, maybe I won't, but you will, because you always do. Even when no one can think of anything, you do." Instead of comforting me, his words add more pressure on my shoulders, but I know that he honestly is just trying to help me. It just isn't working.

I pull back, give him a reassuring smile. "Thank you, Percy." I say, but deep down inside, I know that it's fake. How can he expect me to get us out of this mess? We're in the future, a future that's messed up and totally okay with kids twenty three kids dying each year. What can I possibly do to stop this?

But we have friends. Mags knew we would come, and obviously the gods are still at work here because there is still a demigod population in Panem.

"So, Annabeth? Do you mind telling me that plan you were all talking about earlier? I kind of…" He chuckles, and I roll my eyes. This is the Percy I'm used to.

After explaining it to him, the sun is almost down, and it's almost time for the Anthem to play and show us our lost tributes. We've been hearing a few cannons all day, and now is the time to see what we have left.

What surprises me is this: there is only eleven of us left. Enobaria, Chaff, Brutus, Mags, Finnick, Wiress, Beetee, Johanna (ugh), some kid from District 3, and Percy and I. Our plan is to kill off Brutus and Enobaria, who have almost certainly allied. If Chaff is with them, then we take him out too, as well as anyone else in their group.

But we're also the biggest group left, and I know for sure that as soon as we kill Brutus and Enobaria, we'll break up. Johanna will almost certainly go after me, because she seems to hate me for no reason, and Finnick will probably team up with her to do the deed.

But something they don't know is this: I have Percy. And my knife. They may have fought in the arena's before, but I have been slaying monsters all my life, and while Percy hasn't been fighting nearly as long as I have, he has control of the sea. Even if we hide, we would still have the upper hand.

What disturbs me now is how easy it is for me to think about killing people. But really, it's just self-defense, in a twisted way. If we don't kill Brutus or Enobaria, they'll try and kill us. So that simplifies it. Kill or be killed. The thought sends a strange shudder down my spine.

Our plan is to attack tomorrow, so Percy says that he'll try and get some food for us from the ocean. Basically, he's going to get a few fish to sacrifice themselves, gather oysters or clams or scallops or whatever is down there, and be the hero of food.

Later that evening, I stand behind him on the beach as he steps into the water with his spear ready. I'm keeping watch, while Finnick is doing the same about a hundred feet down the beach. Johanna is keeping watch down there, and when she meets my gaze, she only gives me a stiff nod before she continues to sweep the area.

I do the same, although it's not what I'm used to doing. Back in camp, we've never really had to watch our backs unless we were playing capture the flag, and that was only maybe once every two weeks. But at least now I'm okay at it. My body turns at the slightest whoosh of the breeze; my hand automatically goes to my knife in its sheath on my thigh whenever someone snaps a stick. I feel prepared to take down anyone.

Percy obviously "gathers" a lot more food than Finnick, which makes him popular with everyone as we eat. Finnick continually says things like, "I don't know how you beat me, Twelve!" But he's acting pretty good-natured about it.

I probably should have told him to not gather so much, because technically we _are_ from District 12, but luckily he has more shellfish than anything, which is easy to gather.

As we eat, we're all talking and laughing, almost like this is a bizarre camping trip. I have my back to the forest, Percy next to me, Mags sitting on my other side. Finnick is across from me, Johanna next to him, Beetee on his other side, and Wiress is next to him.

Wiress is strange. She was interesting before we got into the arena, but now she seems slightly insane. She only mumbles weird things, Nursery Rhymes I remember from the past, but she only says them when Beetee murmurs something to her. She looks up and sees me staring at her and grins widely.

It was perfect, for what it was. My belly was full, I had enough water (thanks to the spiel) and I felt…content.

Until I felt the knife up against my throat, and someone growled, "Don't move, or little Annabeth here gets it."

**Blazerules34: Oh. Well, that certainly isn't good. Please review and tell me what you think!**


	17. Drowning

**Blazerules34: Well, the good news is that it hasn't been that long since my last update! Right….right? Anyway. I want to talk about something. Did **_**anybody **_**get the chills from the Mockingjay trailer, with Beetee breaking in and all that? I did. And Peeta's there, subtly shaking his head as Snow talks. The feels. I would also love to bring this up: I'm thinking about posting this story on a website called Quotev. I would obviously post updates at the same time on both of these websites, and I would edit my first original chapters (shudders) and repost them so they're…well, better. But I would love to have a photo to go along with this, a picture. I have absolutely NO artistic talent. Would anyone be interested? Obviously I would credit everything to you, and if you like, I could write you a one-shot featuring whatever character you wish! As long as I know them. Thanks guys **

**If you're interested, leave a review and I'll PM you. Or just PM me. Either way.**

"Brutus…be careful." Out of anyone I expected to say something, Johanna was the least likely, Percy being the most. But here she is, defending me.

I try to breathe in carefully through my mouth, trying to get my neck as far away from the sharp metal as possible, but Brutus is holding my hair, tilting my head back. He presses the knife a bit more firmly into my neck, and I feel a thin trickle of blood slide down my neck.

I have never been more close to death in my entire life.

With that thought in my head, the world explodes in an eruption of salty sea water, knocking Brutus off his feet and, thankfully, off of me.

But Percy's blast of sea water is too strong, and it knocks all of us around, yet more and more water keeps pouring in.

I try my best to stay afloat, but my head goes down under the water. Gasping, my head breaks the surface and I'm surprised to find that staying up is suddenly easier. I remember the purple belt around my waist, and I realize that's the reason.

Someone suddenly grabs my foot, and yanks me under the water. Forcing my eyes open, I see that it's Johanna. I try to fight her off, but she digs her nails in my leg, forcing me to stay under the water.

Trying again to swim away, I look up towards the surface, and Percy is there. He's reaching his hand out to me, his eyes determinedly open, and I reach up and grab his hand.

He pulls me up to the surface, and Johanna sticks along for the ride. Choking, she treads water, and Percy holds me back, knowing I would have attacked her. But my first focus, after all, is breathing.

I look around, avoiding looking at her, and I see that the water is receding. Something shines in the water, catching my eye, and I dart out of Percy's grasp and grab it. It's Beetee's wire, the one we were supposed to take from Brutus.

Suddenly, a cannon goes off. I look around wildly. Percy and Johanna are still with me…so who's dead? A body floats to the surface of the water, someone else clinging to it. Another cannon fires, and I flinch.

The person gripping on to the dead body turns towards us, and I sigh in relief. It's Beetee. Thank the gods that he made it.

I feel ground beneath my feet and I stand upright, my breathing finally becoming normal. Beetee stands as well, and shoves the dead body of Brutus away from him. His glasses are broken, and he tries his best to dry off the remaining glass in them.

I feel Percy wrap his arm around me, and I throw a murderous glance towards Johanna, but I say nothing to her. Instead, I pull Percy with me towards Beetee.

"Wiress is dead," he says quietly, looking down at the wet and soggy ground. He kicks at the dirt, scuffing it with his soaking shoes.

I don't know what to say. I've experienced loss; I loss Thalia. I lost Luke. And, for a while, I lost my entire family. Sorry doesn't make you happy. In fact, I hate the word. But what else could you say to someone who loses someone else?

So, instead of saying something, I hand him the copper wire. He takes it, running his fingers along the spool. "I invented this, you know. Wiress helped me. She was always good with things like wires, hence her name."

"Beetee." Percy speaks up and steps closer to the man. "Trust me when I say this: she experienced no pain."

I stare at him. His voice is incredibly sad, as is the look on his face, but to me, his message is clear. He knew, in the water, that Wiress was dying. And he helped her die with no pain.

Wordlessly, I reach up and grab his hand. He intertwines our fingers, but his gaze is still locked on Beetee's. After a moment or two, Beetee straights and nods his head.

"Thank you, Percy." Whether it's the sadness of his friend passing, or the determination in his voice, Beetee appears stronger, more battle-hardened.

Just like Percy and I after the Battle of Manhattan.

"We're here for you, Beetee." I pause meaningfully. "And I know that wire is important, but first, I have to deal with something."

I turn around to where Johanna had been when we went to Beetee, but she's no longer there. Cursing under my breath, I turn in a circle, looking for her. She's nowhere to be seen, and now that I'm really thinking about it, neither is Mags or Finnick.

Looks like our group has already split in two. But Finnick and Johanna are dangerous on their own, and doubly so now that they're together.

I look back at Percy. "We've got to watch our backs."

**Blazerules34: alright, that's all I have time for today. Please review and tell me what you think about the chapter, and what you think about what I said above. Love you all!**


	18. Dreams

**Blazerules34: Ha…yeah it's October…last time I updated was, what, July? Oops…I feel bad. But, in my defense, I'm a freshman in high school, and I'm also in marching band so that takes up a lot of my time, obviously. October is the worst month for it, because I have a competition basically every Saturday.**

**In other news, THE BLOOD OF OLYMPUS COMES OUT TUESDAY YESSSS. I am SO excited! But I'm also really scared because it's the last book ever. I've been a fan since 2009, and I'm not ready to let go, honestly…**

**My Instagram account is basically all preparation for The Blood of Olympus. That's literally all it is. I'm the_book_nerd_is_here and if you follow me and let me know it's from this, I'll follow back. Love you guys! Please enjoy!**

**~Percy's POV~**

As Annabeth surveyed the area, I couldn't help but feel unfocused. I had felt Wiress' life draining away in the water. I tried to heal her, but it was already too late. The best I could do for her was make her death quick and painless, and the weight of it rests heavy on my chest.

"Percy?" Annabeth asks, turning her grey eyes on to me. Meeting her gaze, I blink twice. Did she ask me a question?

"What did you say?" I ask, and it surprises me how some things never change. I feel stupid around Annabeth more often than not.

She sighs, and I see the flash of frustration in her eyes, and she pushes her hair back over her shoulder. The cut on her neck from Brutus' knife is healed already, from the water. Hopefully no one will notice that; I keep forgetting that our every move is being watched by the Capitol.

"We need to move. Johanna, Finnick, and Mags could be anywhere. And it's clear that we can't trust them." Her eyes narrow ever so slightly, and I feel the same flash of anger that I know she's feeling. I take a deep breath, and I nod my head, wanting to get away from the water.

"Let's go." I say, and together we help Beetee up and we start to walk away from the beach, away from the betrayal and the deaths that the beach contained.

We don't make it very far when Beetee collapses suddenly. I lurch forward to grab him and he slides to the ground. His eyes roll back into his head, and his body sags. As gently as possible, I lay him down on the ground and crouch beside him, looking up at Annabeth, her face luminous in the moonlight. "I think this is where we'll have to stay."

She nods her head, her face grim. "I'll take first watch, Percy." I try not to show my relief, looking up at her. I start to reach for one of the bags, but then I realize that the only thing we have left is the spiel in my pocket. Letting out a sigh, I start to grab some ferns from the ground and make a pillow out of them.

Annabeth takes a seat with her back resting against a tree trunk, her knife resting on her thigh. She looks alert, and her hair is shining in the light. "Wake me up in two hours." I tell her, and she nods her head without saying anything.

I thought I wouldn't be able to sleep, but as soon as my head hit those ferns on the wet ground, I was out like a light.

My dreams, like always, are chaotic and confusing, and a little terrifying. Demigods never have nice dreams; they're usually warnings of things to come, and what's going on in the world currently. In the past, I've had lots of dreams about terrible things happening.

In my dream, I'm standing on the beach. I can hear rain behind me, but I can't turn around. Lightning flashes from behind me, where the rain is coming from, followed by the sound of thunder. And then the arena goes white, and the ceiling breaks apart.

My dream switches, and I'm suddenly in a dark cellar, and everywhere around me is the sound of crying, and, within a second, screaming. The whole place, however big it is, reeks of pain and misery, with a subtle undertone of death.

"Where am I?" I murmur, looking around, and then suddenly I see something that scares more than anything that has ever happened to me.

I see myself, chained up to the wall, my legs extended in front of me. My wrists are chained up in shackles, and my eyes are closed. My hair is dark and dusty, my face gaunt (have I been fed?) and the sick thing is, I'm not moving.

There are two other people on my sides, one male, and one female. But before I can see who the people are, my dream shifts again.

This time, I'm in a long conference room filled with computers, and no windows. There's one long table, and every seat in it is taken, and briefly, I see Haymitch, but then I keep looking. Some type of conversation is going on, but before I can figure it out, I see Annabeth.

She stands up, her eyes blazing, and slams her hands on to the table. Her hair is pulled back into a pony tail, and she's wearing shorts and a tank top. She's glaring at a lady with gray hair, who is staring back at her. Everything is silent as she begins to speak.

"Katniss is unable to be your Mockingjay. You all know this…which is why _I'm_ here, not her. I have lost more than I should have due to your plans, Coin, but I'm still here." Annabeth's lower lip trembles, but then she rolls her shoulders back, and then she reins in her emotions once more. "I _am_ the Mockingjay. And those are my conditions, take them or leave them. But if you leave them, there will be no second chances. You will have to find someone else that can wield the power that I can, and there is _no one_ _else_ that can do this besides me. Take it or leave it, Coin." And with that, she turns around and walks out the door, slamming it behind her.

I see Haymitch start to laugh at the expression on this Coin lady's face, and then I feel Annabeth start to shake me and I wake up.

I don't say anything as we switch places, and Annabeth collapses on my bed of ferns without a word. Within seconds, she's snoring lightly in her sleep, her back turned towards me. And, as bad as it sounds, I can only halfway focus on keeping watch. The other half of my brain is focusing on my dreams.

What did they mean? Why was I tied up the way I was? Who was there with me? And why was Annabeth saying all of those things about being a…Mockingjay?

Annabeth stirs and murmurs in her sleep, and I look at her, and then I turn my gaze around the forest, pushing those questions out of my head. For now, I can't worry about those things. For now, Annabeth needs to stay safe.

**Blazerules34: Please don't hurt me! I hope you enjoyed it!**


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